Break the Barricade
by ElBrezo
Summary: SEQUEL to Southern Constellations! Austin and his girlfriend, Kristen, have gone through hell already, and now they face an obstacle even worse than before: touring without each other. Will the distance, a new girl, and a secret that had been kept for too long be able to tear them apart for good? - Includes Austin Carlile, Vic Fuentes, Kellin Quinn, Matty Mullins, and more!
1. Chapter 1

"Got any threes?"

"Go fish."

Vic let out a playful sigh as he picked up a new card from the deck in the middle of the table.

"You never have what I need." He whined.

"Oh, hush. Got any eights?"

He narrowed his eyes for a moment before handing her two cards.

"Ha!" Kristen laughed out, setting down her three eights.

"You cheat."

"You're just mad you can never win." She stuck her tongue out at him.

Vic laughed quietly and a loud bell rang from the kitchen.

They both stood up to go take care of dinner.

"Hey, what time are you going to pick up Austin tomorrow?"

"His plane lands at 2PM." A shy smile made its way to her face.

"I suppose you want me gone for when you two get back and…"

"Vic!" She cut him off.

"Well! You haven't seen each other in a month and I know you've both got to have some frustration to let out."

She laughed loudly as she turned off the stove. "You're ridiculous."

"I'm just bracing myself." He gave her a joking smile as he set the table.

Vic helped her carry the food to the table, and they sat down to eat.

"Do you think he'll be mad about me being here all summer? Like, he isn't _that _type, is he?" Vic asked quietly.

"I don't think so. We've been friends almost as long as Austin and I have, and if he has a problem with us hanging out then he can get over it."

An ever so slight blush crept over Vic's cheeks as he picked at his food.

"Whatever you say, Kristen."

...

Kristen's heart beat all too fast as she took shaky steps through the airport.

She was dying to see Austin, and she was going crazy waiting for him.

She let out a squeak as people started walking through the gate Austin was coming from.

Patiently she waited until almost everyone had gotten off the plane.

As the second to last person made his way through the gate, tears immediately fell from her eyes.

"Austin!" She screamed and ran towards him.

He caught her and squeezed her as tight as he could.

"I fucking love you." He whispered against her hair.

She pulled her head back to look at him, her legs still around his waist and arms around his neck.

Both were crying right in the middle of the airport, getting a few looks now and then.

"I love you so much more." She finally replied and gave him a kiss.

They hugged for a few more moments, until he had to go and grab his bags.

Kristen waited for him, quietly shaking with excitement.

Austin returned with his bags shortly, and grabbed her hand. "Shall we get some coffee?" He smiled at her.

"Aw, you remembered." She giggled.

He laughed back and kissed her head as they walked out into the parking lot.

...

"Thank you!" Austin smiled cheerfully as the waitress brought them his water and scone and Kristen's coffee.

"So, any good news?" He said once she left.

"Well, some." She looked down at her hands and smiled.

"Tell me!"

"We're almost done with our album, for one."

"Congrats, babe! I have to be the first to hear it. Promise?" He gave her a small wink.

"Of course."

His smile had yet to leave. "And what's the other news?"

Her eyes lit up as she looked up at him. "We're going on tour again."

Austin practically jumped up with excitement. "Seriously? I'm so happy for you! Who are you touring with?"

"Sleeping With Sirens, Memphis May Fire, and another band… they have a girl singer too, I think their name was The Nearly Deads."

"That is fucking sweet. And ironic." He laughed.

"How so?" Kristen asked, unable to get rid of her own smile.

"We're going on tour too! But with We Came As Romans and Chunk! No, Captain Chunk!."

"That's awesome! When?"

"First show is October 9th."

She laughed quietly. "Just a few days before us. Ours is October 12th."

"That's awesome. But man, this is a big step. Our first tours while together."

She gave him a look of slight confusion.

He chuckled. "If you weren't perfect and awesome and in a totally sweet band, I'd be leaving you at home while I'm on tour. But instead, you're going on tour too. It's a big deal. We aren't going to see each other for months."

"Don't remind me." She replied.

His face fell, and he looked worried. When he spoke, his voice was barely a whisper. "Do you think we can do this?"

She squeezed his hand. "I know we can."

Austin leaned across the table, giving her a kiss.

She blushed and looked down, catching her phone screen lighting up.

"Oh, hey the movie starts in 15 minutes. Should we get going?"

"Sure." Austin stood up and went to pay while Kristen walked outside.

The sun was shining down on the sidewalk and the slight breeze made for the perfect weather.

Perfect weather, perfect date, perfect boyfriend…

Kristen couldn't help but smile as Austin returned and grabbed her hand again.

This day was perfect.

...

Kristen let out a loud laugh as she unlocked the door to her apartment and let them inside.

"You're crazy. That wasn't funny."

Austin laughed back. He looked over at the couch and found a pillow and blanket folded at the end of it. He frowned. "What's that?"

"That's where Vic sleeps. He moved in for the summer so he could be in Florida to write. He helped us out so much on the tour I thought it was the least I could do."

Austin nodded slightly. "Hm."

Changing the subject, she grabbed his hands and bit her lip as she started walking back towards her room.

"Hey, don't worry about it. He's gone for the night." She lowered her voice. "It's just you and me."

Austin grabbed her face and pulled her up into a passionate kiss, slipping his tongue into her mouth and not allowing her to gain control.

He continued to move them into her room, and shut the door behind him.

...

"So, you hungry?"

"You know it." Austin smirked at her. "I lost all my energy in there."

Her cheeks burned as she looked down and poured them cereal.

Austin sat at the table in nothing but his boxers. She had thrown on some shorts and a hoodie and put her hair up messily; something she knew Austin loved. She caught him staring, and knew she made the right choice.

She set down a bowl in front of him and sat in the chair across from him.

They ate quietly, not having much to say after the day they'd had, even if they hadn't seen each other in a while.

"I'm so nervous about the tour." Kristen blurted out. "I mean, _Sleeping With Sirens_… I love them!"

Austin laughed at her. He reached under the table, typing out something on his phone.

"What?"

"It's very funny that you mention Sleeping With Sirens."

She eyed him. "Why?"

He waited a few seconds, and then they both heard a small bumping noise.

Austin jumped up and opened the front door.

A moment later, Kellin Quinn walked into her living room holding a guitar. He handed Austin a rose.

With a smile on his face, Austin got down on one knee and held the rose up to Kristen as Kellin started singing.

"_There's so many things that I could say, but I'm sure that it would come out all wrong. You've got something that I can't explain. Still I try and try to let you know… that first summer we spent, one we'll never forget. Looking for any kind of reason to escape all the mess that we thought was what made us. Ain't it funny now we can see, we're who we're meant to be."_

Kristen looked down at Austin in shock. Austin grabbed her hand and stood up, kissing her cheek and whispering the lyrics along with Kellin.

"_You still have all of my heart._"

Kristen pulled Austin's face down and gave him a kiss. "I love you." She turned to Kellin. "And you're wonderful for doing this. But I wonder why you didn't just sing yourself, Austin?"

"Because Kellin is way better than me."

"I bet you could kill it if you were to scream it." Kellin piped up.

"Nah, I like it the way it is. It's perfect."

"I want to point out how you're not even wearing any pants." Kellin continued.

Austin looked down and started laughing. "It was still cute, right?"

"Very." Kristen smiled.

Austin kissed her cheek again. "How about I throw on some clothes and we just chill tonight? You up for it, Kellin?"

"Definitely!" He replied as he set his guitar down against the wall.

Kristen and Kellin laughed together as they watched Austin disappear into her bedroom.

* * *

**A/N: It took forever to get out, but I hope you enjoy it. c:**


	2. Chapter 2

Kristen groaned loudly as the shrill ringing of her phone woke her up at 9AM.

Kellin hadn't left until around 4:30 last night, and she was exhausted.

With a sigh, she picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, I have great news!"

She sat straight up. "A-are you serious?"

"Completely! They're both open for you to give your guys' own touch to. Make us proud."

"Oh my god! Thank you so much, Beau! I can't wait to tell them. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

"No problem at all. Sorry it took so long. Freaking labels." He joked.

"It's all good. Talk to you later."

"Bye."

As soon as she hung up the phone, she jumped up and screamed, forgetting Austin was sleeping right next to her.

He stirred slightly before opening his eyes and looking up at her. "Well good morning."

"I'm sorry, go back to sleep."

"Nah, tell me what's up."

"I can't yet!"

He laughed and rubbed his eyes. "Why not?"

"Well, I want to tell you, Vic, and Kellin all at once."

He let out a deep breath. "You're so difficult."

She pouted.

He chuckled, and made his way out of the bed.

He walked out into the living room, Kristen following close behind.

They found Vic sound asleep on the couch.

"Victor! Guess who it is?"

Vic didn't say anything for a long moment, but eventually muttered, "Carlile?"

"How's the couch?"

Vic sat up groggily, blinking to try and make his vision clear. "It's all right. What's up? I had a long night."

"Same." Austin winked. Kristen punched his arm, making him laugh. He kissed her shoulder before turning back to Vic. "Anyway, she has something she wants to tell us but we can't know until you, me, and Kellin are around. You up for waking him up this early?"

"Yeah, I'll call him. Just give me a few more minutes to wake up."

Austin nodded and stood up, heading back to the kitchen.

"So what's for breakfast, oh so pretty girl that woke me up so early?" He smirked when Kristen rolled her eyes.

"You'll forgive me when you hear the surprise."

"I'll forgive you sooner if you make me food." He pouted for a second, before breaking out into giggles.

A small chuckle escaped Kristen. She shook her head as she opened up the cabinet.

...

"Are you sure this is the right place, Vic?" Kristen stared in slight disbelief at the building in front of them.

"1700 Thames Street... this is it." He sounded hesitant.

"Awkward." She replied.

"I think it's freakin' sweet!" Austin shouted as he ran up to the door. "I'm not even waiting for Kellin; I'm getting some ice cream!"

Kristen laughed as she and Vic followed slowly behind.

As they waited for Austin to order, they heard the door open and someone approach them.

"Little guy is loving it, isn't he?" Kellin asked in a serious tone.

"_Sugar Palace_?" Kristen raised an eyebrow at him.

"Hell yeah! This stuff is delicious. Now if you will excuse me, that frozen perfection is calling my name." Kellin pushed past them and jumped up to the counter.

Within 15 minutes, they all had some ice cream and were sitting in a booth together.

"So what's this news I'm hearing about?" Kellin asked.

A wide grin crossed her lips.

"Well, there's this band... you might have heard of them."

She looked between the three of them, studying their expressions.

"blessthefall."

"Beau and the gang? What about them?" Vic sipped his milkshake.

"Well, we've been talking. About a month and a half ago I asked him something, and I finally got my answer this morning. They said The New Revolution has full permission to re-record a couple of their songs!"

"Whoa!" The trio exclaimed.

"That's great!" Austin squeezed her hand in excitement.

"Where do we come in?" Kellin asked with a smile already on his face.

"I want you three to do Last Ones Left with me."

"We're in." Austin answered for them.

"Yay!" She cheered out.

"We heading to the studio to plan today?" Kellin asked as he finished his ice cream.

"If you guys want."

"I'm up for it." Vic spoke up.

Austin and Kellin nodded in agreement.

"Alright then, let's head out." Kellin stood up, and the others followed.

"Let's do this."

...

Kellin smiled as he read the lyrics that were spread across the table. "Austin definitely gets the screaming parts."

"Why's that?" Austin smiled back.

"Because it sounds like it was written for you to sing to her. Look."

Austin read it over, his smile growing and his eyes watering. He hugged Kristen closer to him.

"Most of the rest of it is just the same lines, so we can break that up and we've got this done!" Kellin finished.

They all cheered out as Kellin placed the lyrics back into the folder and left them on the table.

"And now, we celebrate."

He nodded to Vic, who brought out juice boxes.

"What in the world has gotten into you two?" Kristen laughed.

"It's tour season and I'm fucking stoked! And I tend to start acting like a child." Kellin smirked.

"Clearly." She shook her head and smiled.

"Settle down, kibbles. Enjoy your juice." Austin squeezed her close to him as they laughed.

"Let's cheers to this." Kellin said, lifting his box high above them.

"To?" Vic asked.

"To the start of two great tours. May they be the best of our lives."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I know this is ridiculously short! Like, holy jesus. But it's kind of basically a filler. So, I'm uploading TWO chapters. Make sure to check the next one out too. :3**

* * *

Over the course of the next three days, Kristen, Austin, Vic, and Kellin tracked all of the vocals for the song. On the last day, Kristen's bandmates were tracking the bass, drums, and guitar while the gang of vocalists put the vocals together.

They finished much earlier, and decided to head out for food.

...

"I'm so stoked! Fuck. I want to get back in the studio with some Of Mice & Men songs now." Austin exclaimed. He had one arm tightly around Kristen as they ate.

"Same here." Kellin replied. "But first, we have to go play the old songs. I'm personally excited for our first headliner. It's going to be sweeeeet!"

"Especially because you have such amazing openers." Kristen winked.

Kellin laughed. "Have you met the other bands?"

She shrugged. "Nope."

"Well then. We're going to have to set that up. I say the day before Carlile leaves, we get everyone in town and hang out. Cool?"

"I'm all for it."

The others nodded along, and Kellin gave a small smile.

"You know, there's another girl coming along."

Kristen eyed him, confused. "And?"

"How many pillow fights are we going to see this month?"

Austin let out a loud laugh, almost spitting out his food. "Make sure I get a copy of that video."

Kristen nudged Austin playfully and rolled her eyes at Kellin.

"Trust me, nothing is going to happen."


	4. Chapter 4

Austin sighed as he pulled up next to Kellin's car in the restaurant's parking lot.

Kristen squeezed his hand, making him look at her worriedly.

"What is it?"

"I'm just nervous, I guess." She replied quietly.

Austin gave her a small smile. He leaned over and kissed her lightly. "Don't be."

They got out of the car, and walked over to the large group of band members.

Everyone else had already arrived, with Kristen and Austin only a few minutes late.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming! Thought you already hated us. I'm Matty." Matty Mullins, vocalist for Memphis May Fire, smiled warmly at Kristen and shook her hand.

"Yeah, sorry. I just had a hard time getting up this morning." She smiled wearily back at him.

She didn't catch it, but he had a knowing glint in his eyes.

They turned away, meeting the others.

It only was a few moments before TJ, the lead singer of The Nearly Deads (the other opener), approached them. Or, more specifically, Austin.

"Hi." She gave him a cute little smile. "My name is TJ."

"Hey, I'm Austin. Nice to meet you." He shook her hand.

"Oh, the pleasure is definitely mine."

Austin laughed.

Kristen dropped his hand, and Austin looked at her. "What?"

"Nothing. Cold." She said calmly, tucking her hands under her arms.

"Anyway, I was kind of hoping you'd be showing up on our tour sometime. Got anything planned out yet?" TJ cut in.

"Not yet." Austin answered.

TJ put her hand on Austin's arm. "Well, I sincerely hope to see you again soon." She gave a wink as she turned to Sleeping With Sirens.

Austin looked back to Kristen. "So what's really up?"

"Nothing." She said again. "I just want to get this over with."

"Come on, it'll be fun."

"For who?"

"All of us." Austin slipped his hand back into hers, and they began to follow the rest of the group into the restaurant.

...

Kristen felt incredibly uncomfortable and out of place throughout the entire meal.

After realizing that she could only stay in the bathroom so long, she had to go back out, only to find TJ sitting even closer to Austin than before. Sighing, she sat back down. She barely spoke for most of the remaining time, and she was sure no one noticed anyway.

The drive back home was practically silent.

As Austin walked out of the bathroom and back into her bedroom, he looked at her sadly.

"What's bothering you? Honestly?" He sat down next to her. "Please. You know you can tell me anything."

Kristen kept her eyes locked on her hands. She refused to look at him.

"That girl… Something isn't right."

"Kristen,"

"Don't say it. Because it's happened before. I can't lose you again, Austin. I can't." Tears formed in her eyes. "I can't."

Austin grabbed her face, and brought her lips to his.

"You will never lose me. I love you more than anything on this earth. I'm yours forever and even after that."

She didn't say anything, but she lowered her shoulders in defeat. She didn't want to argue.

"It's my last night in town," Austin started as he laid her down and moved over her. He gave her another kiss; this one more passionate than the last.

"Let me show you how much you mean to me."

...

"I love you." Austin whispered, giving her one last kiss before boarding his flight to Silver Springs.

She watched him go, knowing in her heart that there was something uneasy about all of this.

After leaving the airport, she spent most of the day at home.

It was around 6pm when Vic came home.

"Hey, you all right?" He asked. Worry flashed in his eyes.

"I'm fine."

Vic frowned and looked away. "Do you want to come play mini-golf with Kellin and me?"

She let out a small giggle. "Yeah. I need to get out of here for a little while."

"Okay." Vic smiled, and reached for her hand. He grabbed it, but dropped it immediately when she flinched.

"Sorry." He whispered as they walked out the door.

...

"You got this one! Come on, you got this one!" Kellin screamed out as Kristen hit her ball.

"Yeeeeeah!" Kellin cheered and Vic clapped when the ball went straight in.

Kristen smiled widely. Her smile didn't fade when she heard her phone ringing.

"Hello?"

"Hey baby! I'm about to go on stage in literally like 10 seconds and I just wanted to tell you that I love you so much." Austin yelled over the background noise in a rush.

"I love you too. Have a good show!" She said, just before the phone cut off.

...

"_This is faithfulness at its finest_." Austin screamed as he finished off O.G. Loko.

The crowd roared before them, and the energy was flowing through them.

"Thank you!"

He ran over to the side of the stage and grabbed his phone.

"Hope you guys don't mind. Just taking a few pictures for the one back home." He took a couple pictures before returning his phone to safety.

"So this next song, it's about the South." Austin let out a laugh. "My girlfriend is from the South, and trust me; I think this song describes something she would do perfectly. This song is called _They Don't Call It the South for Nothing_."

...

As soon as Austin had eaten and gotten on the bus, he grabbed his laptop and went straight to Skype.

He called Kristen, and she answered just a few moments later.

"Good evening." She smiled.

He smiled back. "Hey, gorgeous. How are you?"

"Exhausted." She giggled. "You?"

"Same. The show was badass! It felt so weird without you there, though." He said softly.

"Aw, well hey, in a couple days I'll be on tour and I'll feel weird too."

He smiled again before talking. "What did you do today?"

Kristen laughed. "Kicked Kellin and Vic's asses at mini-golf."

"You golfed without me? I'm saddened."

"It's not like you're all that good anyway." She stuck her tongue out at him.

"If I was there, I'd have grabbed that tongue of yours. Don't get sassy with me, now." He couldn't stop laughing while he talked.

"I'm sure we'll get to see each other eventually. Hopefully a lot, but I won't press my luck. 42 days."

"And counting." Austin finished for her.

They just stared at each other for a while.

Austin broke the silence, sighing loudly and rubbing his eyes. "I already miss you."

"I miss you too."

"Maybe I should get some sleep. I love you, babe." Austin stared back at her through the screen.

"I love you too." She chuckled. "Goodnight."

"Night." He replied, and ended the call.

Kristen sighed softly as well, and started to shut off her computer.

This was going to be difficult.

She hoped more than anything that her own tour would be enough to take everything off her mind.


	5. Chapter 5

Kristen sighed contently as Vic helped her set up the last piece of their equipment.

"Thanks for tagging along, Vic." She gave him a thankful smile.

He smiled back. "No problem. This is going to be awesome."

TJ pushed past them, instructing her band on where to put their stuff.

Kristen laughed, and Vic shook his head playfully.

"Want to go get something to eat?" He asked.

"Yeah." She agreed. "Hey guys, want to get some lunch before rehearsal?" She called to her bandmates.

They eagerly agreed, and the group set out to the Denny's across the street.

...

They arrived on time for rehearsal, right as The Nearly Deads had finished.

TJ pushed past Kristen again, and Kristen just rolled her eyes.

Matt gave her a nod and laughed. "Rawr."

Kristen giggled. "Not yet."

She grabbed his guitar from him and played a few familiar chords before singing along.

"I know all about your type. You're the type of girl that texts all day and talks all night. And oh, I know that you are feeling sad. I don't feel bad. 'Cause you're, a bitch."

The whole band laughed, and Kristen didn't need to look to know that TJ was scowling at her.

"Okay guys, let's start."

The band began to play the intro to Monster by Paramore, a cover they did last tour that became a favorite.

Kristen took a deep breath and let the music take over her.

"_You were my conscience. So solid, now you're like water. And we started drowning, not like we'd sink any further. But I let my heart go; it's somewhere down at the bottom. But I'll get a new one and come back for the hope that you've stolen_."

She glanced up for barely a second, and she could've sworn she saw the figure of Matty Mullins staring down at her from the rafters of the venue.

"_I'll stop the whole world. I'll stop the whole world from turning into a monster and eating us alive. Don't you ever wonder how we survive? Well now that you're gone, the world is ours_."

...

Later on in the night, Kristen sat alone on the side of the stage before their set, watching The Nearly Deads perform.

She couldn't lie. TJ was _good_. Great, even.

She sighed, and flinched as someone sat down beside her.

Looking up, she saw Matty.

"Hey." She tried to speak over the sound of the band.

"You okay?" Matty asked.

"Yeah, just a bit nervous. And I miss Austin."

"It'll be all good. I heard you earlier; you're going to kill that stage." He smiled.

"Well I hope so." She gave him a small smile back.

He pushed her playfully. "What's really on your mind, kid?"

"Do you think-" She hesitated.

"Go on."

"Do you think… that I have a chance of losing him? To… her?"

"No. He loves you."

"That didn't make a difference last time."

"Yeah, I heard about that." He fiddled with his hands. "But he made a mistake. It was an accident. He's a human."

She sat quietly, not saying anything. "Sometimes I think about it and wonder if it really was an accident."

"Take my word for it. I see the way he looks at you. I promise, his heart is right there." He pointed into her hands.

She smiled softly, resisting the urge to cry.

Matty said nothing either for a few minutes.

"Hey, if you need a screamer for the blessthefall song, I'm available."

She smiled up at him. "You would do that?"

"Sure. It'll be fun."

They stood up as The Nearly Deads finished off their last song.

...

"Thank you guys so much!" Kristen screamed out.

They cheered wildly back at her.

"Okay, so for this next song, I need a few people to help me out." She breathed heavily as she took a long gulp of her water.

"We have three people that you're going to be stoked to see. So let's bring them out."

Matty ran out first, followed closely behind by Kellin.

"And there's one other guy we need!"

Vic walked out, and everyone in the crowd freaked out.

Matt, Kasey, and Caleb started playing, and the four singers jumped in sync, doing their best to pump up the crowd.

Kristen sang out first. "_If we're going down, we all go down together. And that's the way it is._"

Kellin picked up the next line. "_And I know we'll stay like this forever._"

"_I'm standing here. I'm standing by your side._" Vic finished.

They flew through the rest of the song and before anyone knew it, Matty was screaming the last lines.

"_We've come so far. We've tried so hard. Please don't let go. Don't let this slip away._

The crowd cheered them on, and continued as the trio exited the stage.

Kristen waited a few moments for them to calm down before speaking again.

"I know you guys really don't want to hear this from me, but I have to say it." She already had tears in her eyes.

"As you guys know, I'm in a relationship with a man by the name of Austin Carlile." She let them react before continuing. "I've been working on this song for a few months now, while he was home in California and I was all alone in Florida. He's never heard it, never had any idea I was even writing it." She chuckled softly at herself as the tears finally went down her cheeks. "In fact, no one other than me has heard it before."

She looked to Matt, and he nodded, saying that his acoustic guitar was tuned and ready to go.

He handed it to her, and she wrapped it around her neck.

"So you guys are the first to hear this. I'm not creative enough to think of a name, so I just call this one, _Austin's Song_."

She began to play the guitar, and the crowd fell quiet.

"_I know that I am here and you are there, but we still have our love. We move just like the moon and sun. The sun comes up, the moon rolls down. A world apart, but they don't make a sound. They know their love spins us 'round. I've been to heaven; I've been to hell, I've been to Vegas, and god knows where. But nothing feels like home like you, babe. I love you more than you will ever_…"

She played and took a breath, trying to keep her emotions in check.

"_I've got my car and my guitar, a couple pills, a couple scars. But I made a wish on a lonesome star. Star, oh star, you shine so bright. Won't you grant me one small wish tonight? That I won't die on this destructive path of mine_."

She couldn't help but start to cry. "_I've been to heaven, I've been to hell, I've been to Vegas, and god knows where. But nothing feels like home, like you babe. I love you more than you will ever know_."

She harmonized quietly as she played out a small verse.

"_I love you more than you will ever know_."

...

Kristen felt much better after their set was over.

She received praise from practically everyone, including two of the members of The Nearly Deads.

She was tired, but content as they all headed into a pizza place.

They didn't quite have time to sit in, so they ordered four pizzas and carried them back to the buses.

Kristen ate quietly, letting her bandmates and Vic do most of the talking.

She really was sleepy, and the rest of them followed her lead when she headed to bed.

Just as they were settling in, Kristen heard Vic saying her name.

"Yes?" She asked from her place one of the top bunks.

"It's pretty lonely in here all by myself. What do you say to taking one of the other bunks in here?"

"Um, sure." She agreed, and hopped down from her bunk. She walked through the curtain and into the other set of bunks. She laid down in the one opposite Vic.

"Thanks." He smiled at her.

"No problem." She smiled back. "Goodnight, Vic."

"Night." He replied.

They both dozed off quickly.

"Psst," Kasey hissed out to his remaining band members. "You still up?"

He received simultaneous "yes'" from Matt and Caleb.

"Do either of you find anything… I don't know, strange, about her sleeping with Vic?" He whispered. "I mean, who knows what's been going on with them. They've been living together for like three months."

"I agree; it's weird. But I don't think she would do that to Austin." Matt replied.

"I think she might. But not when we could see it and tell him." Caleb added.

"Hm." Kasey hummed.

"I guess we'll just have to keep an eye on them." Caleb said.

They all agreed to keep on watch before they fell asleep as well.


	6. Chapter 6

A week and a half of the tour had already come and gone.

Currently, the buses were parked near the night's venue in Omaha, Nebraska. It was 5AM.

Kristen had been having trouble sleeping, and tonight was no different. She had finally fallen asleep, and only a few minutes later did her phone start ringing.

Checking the ID, it was Alan Ashby.

"Yeah?" She mumbled sleepily.

She was still for the most part asleep, and could barely make out what he was saying.

"Watch…er….ease."

"Sure, yeah I got it goodnight Alan." Her hand went limp as she fell back asleep without evening ending the call.

"Kristen! You need to watch that girl!"

...

"No way!" Kellin exclaimed.

"This is so awesome!" Kristen replied, pulling the box of lightsabers out of the broom closet they had found.

They ran out into where the pit would be later, because it was currently a giant empty space.

Matty sat on the ground, leaning against the barricade in front of where the seats started. He laughed as they approached.

"I challenge you to a duel!" Kellin stared at her wide-eyed and ready.

"So be it!" She replied, charging at him.

They play fought for a good ten minutes, both of them along with Matty laughing and enjoying themselves.

Kristen screamed out when something grabbed her lightsaber and threw it to the ground.

"What the fuck?" She snapped.

"You need to grow up!" TJ practically yelled in her face. "_Some _of us actually want to practice."

Kristen looked up at the stage, watching the rest of TJ's band setting up their stuff.

"Well you could've just said so!"

"That wouldn't have gotten the point across. Act like a child, get treated like one." TJ's anger suddenly turned to arrogance. "I'm sure there's _someone _out there who would much rather be around someone who acts their age. Someone kind of like, I don't know, _me_." The small blonde smirked at her before turning and walking back to the stage.

She didn't show it, but Kristen was on the verge of tears. She knew exactly what TJ meant. Maybe she was right.

"She's the one acting like a freaking child." Matty scoffed angrily.

Kristen gave a small nod.

"Here, I'll go put these up." Kellin said, taking their toys back to where they found them.

"Want to go practice somewhere away from them?" Matty asked.

Kristen nodded again, and followed him through the halls of the building.

...

Kristen was sitting quietly on the ground on the side of the stage; leaning against a drum case and listening to Memphis May Fire perform.

Their set hadn't gone as smoothly as she'd wanted, because her emotions were going absolutely crazy.

She squeezed her eyes shut and put her head on her knees as the sounds of Matty singing Vices filled the whole building.

She had just started to cry when she felt her phone vibrating.

Pulling it out of her pocket, she saw that it was Austin.

She answered it, even though she could barely hear herself think.

"Hello?" She had to yell.

"Hey! Bad time?" Austin replied.

"Kind of."

"Sorry. Our show just ended and I'm missing you really bad today."

Kristen was thankful they could barely hear each other, because she let out a loud sob when he said that.

"Hey, can you call back a little later? I can't hear you that well." She said. The song had ended, but another was about to start.

She looked up when she saw Kellin run past her.

"Of course." Austin answered, and she ended the call right as they started Miles Away.

She sat and listened to most of it, crying her eyes out while she did.

Near the end, she knew it would be smarter to go out to the buses instead, before someone noticed.

As she walked outside, she could hear Kellin singing as if he was right beside her.

"_For my heart, for their sake. Be strong, be strong for me_."

...

She had been crying in the back lounge of their bus for almost a straight hour. She was finally beginning to stop, and she was sure she didn't have anything left in her.

She rubbed her eyes with the sleeve of her sweatshirt right as someone walked in.

"Kristen? Are you okay?" Vic asked frantically as he sat beside her.

He looked up at her with terrified eyes. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." She tried to smile, but it didn't work.

"Kristen," He moved closer, putting an arm around her. "You can tell me anything. You know that."

She kept her gaze away from him, staring at nothing in particular. She was trying desperately to stay away from the darkest part of her mind.

"I just feel so… worthless. Like I'm not good enough. Do you know how hard it is to feel like you matter when the person you love is a thousand miles away?" She whispered. She looked up at his eyes, searching for an answer.

"I promise you, you're not worthless. You're perfect." He whispered back.

"No I'm not." She held back a laugh. "I'm as far from perfect as you can get."

"I've never lied to you before. You are too perfect. It's… it's hard to ignore." Vic chose his words carefully. He hugged her even closer, and his heart started pounding in his chest.

Their eyes locked together again, his nervous and hers shining with confusion.

"Look…" He trailed off. He put a hand on her cheek, and pulled her face to his.

Their lips were only an inch apart before the shrill ring of her phone filled the air.

Vic was sure his heart stopped for a second, and he quickly dropped his hand and moved away from her.

Kristen was in shock, but was able to answer her phone.

"Hey." She answered quietly.

"Hey, baby. Better?"

"Yeah, yeah." She shook her head, in a daze after the last few minutes.

She looked at Vic, and nodded towards the bunks, saying she was going to bed.

Austin laughed quietly. "I really need to get out a calendar and figure out when we'll be able to see each other. I'm dying to hug you."

Kristen smiled as she laid down in her bunk. "Hey, you get home ten days before me. Come see me then."

"I'll have to look into it." He laughed again. "At least I know exactly how many days it is until you get home."

"Yeah?" Her smile was evident in the sound of her voice, and it made Austin's heart jump with excitement.

"31 days." He said enthusiastically.

"And counting."


	7. Chapter 7

Kristen awoke with the sound of soft snoring right in her ear.

She looked over, and found Vic sleeping in his bunk, shirtless and stirring.

She flinched and sat up quickly, and saw her phone fall. Picking it up and putting it to her ear, she heard Austin snoring. He never hung up.

"Sleep well." She whispered, and finally ended the call.

She stretched and let out a loud sigh. Feeling the bed, she realized that the bus wasn't moving.

Quietly, she stood up and grabbed her shoes before heading outside.

The sun was barely coming up. Around 6, she guessed.

Looking out into the empty parking lot, she was shocked to see Matty sitting alone, drinking what appeared to be a beer.

She walked over and sat down next to him. He put the bottle down, and stared at the ground.

"I wasn't always like this." He said quietly. "Everything is so much harder than I thought it would be, you know? We all go through that phase, where we say we want to be a musician. But for me it wasn't a phase. It was all I wanted. All I had. But even as a kid, we think it'll be the easiest, best thing ever. There's so much more too it." He chuckled at himself. "Then again, I never expected to fall in love and get married during all of this either."

"I know how you feel." Kristen whispered. She looked up at him. "I feel so pathetic. I know Austin says he misses me and all, but he's fine. I'm a complete wreck without him. That's how it's always been." She moved her gaze away again.

"But your feelings have never changed." Matty said with a small smile. "That's how you know that all this distance, all the hurt, it's not going to ruin you guys."

"Yeah, but thinking positively isn't exactly my thing."

"Me neither." He picked up the bottle. "This... this, is what destroyed me. It's still destroying me. I can't let something like that happen to you."

"It already did." She cut in. "Years ago."

"What's your vice?"

"I've..." Her eyes welled with tears and she took a breath. "I self-harm. Kind of a lot."

She could hear the pain in his voice when he spoke. "Kristen, you have to stop."

"I can't!" She cried. "As long as there's pain, I have to suffer for it. Mentally and physically. Everyone will be fine as long as I'm not."

"You can't say that." He grabbed her hand and made her look up at him. "I'm coming to you as a friend. Try to stop, please. For me. For Austin. For your bandmates. For all of us."

She felt tears fall from her cheeks. "I can't."

Matty squeezed her hand. "Then I'll help you." He pulled away. "You have too many other things to think about, hurting yourself shouldn't be on that list."

Kristen shrugged.

"I'm here for you." He whispered.

She gave him a small smile. "Thank you. So much."

They both looked up at the sky and watched the sun rise.

...

Matty and Kristen sat on the edge of the stage, talking about tonight.

Kristen's face fell suddenly, making Matty move his gaze to across the room.

There, he found TJ and one of her band members talking. TJ giggled as her friend teased her.

"Talking to Austin again?" He smirked.

"Maaaybe." TJ blushed.

Kristen gave Matty a scared, desperate look.

He frowned, but said nothing.

As an idea lit up in his head, he gave Kristen a small nod.

Let the games begin.

...

Kristen had a hard time during their set, and everyone noticed.

Matt, Kasey, Kellin, and Vic all repeatedly asked her if she was okay, but she ignored them every time.

Matty watched her, trying to figure out what she was going to do.

Eventually, Kristen was able to escape everyone and ran into a bathroom.

Now, there she stood.

She had both arms on the sink, shaking and crying. She looked up at herself in the mirror, and saw Matty's face appear behind her.

"Kristen,"

Only the sound of her shaky breath could be heard.

"Don't let it win."

She started to cry again, and he took a step towards her.

"Please. Don't."

Kristen felt her entire body go limp and she fell against Matty, who caught her.

He held her tightly, letting her cry against him.

Softly, he began to sing.

"_I just want to feel whole again, so I can let you in. I just want to feel whole again. I just want to feel whole_."

He looked down at her and hugged her closer.

"_Where is my self-control? I've been thinking this could be the end of me. Who is this person in the mirror I see? And I have come so far, thought I was so strong. The truth is I've just fed myself a lie for too long. I never thought this would be me, but now I'm on the verge of self-destruction. How could this happen to me?"_


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: Hello! I know you probably hate author's notes and I apologize for this one, but I figured I should explain. Yes, I said I would address this story 3 months ago... but I didn't. I suck. But! I finally got around to it, and now I'm here to promise that I will probably finish it. I owe you guys that much. (And I hate to leave it incomplete.) So here's this chapter, and right after it gets posted I'm going to start working on the next ones! Thank you guys for your support and I'm sincerely sorry for taking forever and being difficult. Thank you for sticking around. It means the world to me.**

* * *

It took about a half hour for Matty to calm Kristen down.

When he did, he walked her outside to the buses.

Everyone was in a frenzy looking for her. It was chaos.

Kristen looked up at Matty, scared.

"It's fine." He promised. "I'll make sure they leave you alone."

Kellin walked up to them, biting his lip with a sad look in his eyes. He handed Kristen his phone.

"Huh?" She mumbled.

"Kristen!" Austin screamed. He sounded like he'd been crying. "Are you okay? Baby, what happened?"

"Nothing, nothing. I'm fine."

"That's not what they're saying."

"Well, I'm okay. Nothing to worry about."

Austin sighed in frustration.

"I'm sorry." Kristen whispered

"I love you, okay? I'm right here whenever you need me. Just, please, talk to me when you need someone."

"I love you too."

He sighed again. "Okay, fine. Goodnight. Call me tomorrow."

"Okay." She said quietly.

Austin hung up, and she gave the phone back to Kellin.

Kristen lowered her head and walked off to get on the bus.

Kellin started to follow her, but Matty stopped him.

"She's okay."

**…**

At rehearsal, TJ was perky and happy as ever. She was singing Disney songs and hanging out with everyone.

Kristen, on the other hand, was lifeless. Her skin was pale, she wasn't moving around all that much, and she showed practically no emotion.

Something really was wrong, and they knew it.

She'd been leaning against the stage for about an hour, mindlessly fiddling with her bracelets, her phone, her hair, and anything she could grab to pass the time.

She let out a frightened gasp when three figures sat down around her.

Looking up into the eyes of Matty, Vic, and Kellin, she smiled glumly.

Kellin cleared his throat and softly sang to her. "_There's something left for you here_."

Vic chimed in, just as quietly. "_If we're going down, we all go down together, and that's the way it is. I know we'll stay like this forever_."

"_We've come so far. We've tried so hard. Please don't let go. Don't let this slip away_." Matty finished with a wide, hopeful smile on his face as he watched her vacant eyes quickly come to life.

"Thank you, guys."

"No need. Seeing that smile is all we wanted." Vic's eyes softened as her mood changed.

"I'm sorry for being such a bummer. But I do appreciate the help." She told them as she stood up, wiping the dirt from her pants. "I really do feel better. Why don't we go do something fun? I could use it."

The trio stood up as well, each happy they'd seemingly succeeded with their plan.

Kellin turned to face the group with a smirk gracing his lips. "Race you guys to the parking lot?"

He dashed off quickly, laughing as Vic caught up with him.

Kristen and Matty gave each other amused glances.

She winked at him as she chased after the others.

"Can't catch me!"

**...**

After spending their remaining free time before the show playing video games on the bus, Matty and Kristen sat together listening to The Nearly Deads play.

TJ's mood had soured once she saw Kristen doing better, and the blonde had acknowledged that she knew Kristen was watching.

As one of their songs came to an end, TJ stole a quick glance at Kristen before speaking.

"You know… some people just don't know when to quit. And sometimes, they get what they deserve. I've recently met someone, and they're awesome. He's getting over some bitch, and I can't wait to make him happier than he's ever been!" TJ chirped excitedly, smirking evilly.

Matty scoffed before directing his gaze to Kristen. She didn't look upset, just irritated.

"She's an idiot."

Kristen smiled. "I know. But don't worry. I have a feeling karma is waiting for her just around the corner."

**...**

"_Now that you're gone, the world is ours_."

Kristen sang out, letting the crowd come alive before her. She smiled at their cheers, happier on stage than she had been in a while.

As her mind flicked back to TJ, a surprised smirk took over her face and a familiar tune filled her head.

She nodded her head to the song in her mind before singing a line out loud.

"_Don't go play by the water; they say you won't come back_."

Matt laughed at her, playing a few notes of the Breathe Carolina song.

"_I just don't understand why she's gotta talk so much_." Kristen giggled, satisfied knowing that somewhere in this building, TJ was probably pissing herself with anger.

"Okay, okay," she spoke through her amusement. "That's enough of that. But just remember folks, loose talk is the enemy of laughter. And the bad guys never win."

**...**

Matty praised her for her comments, making extra sure to tell Kristen about the look of shock that had taken over TJ's face when she heard.

Kristen stayed in a good mood and stuck around to watch Memphis May Fire and Sleeping With Sirens. She even went to the after party for a little while, but eventually got tired after a while. The rest of her band had already retired to their bus, so she figured she should follow.

Saying goodbye and goodnight to everyone, she headed out to the bus eager to get to sleep.

Finding her bandmates asleep, she slipped quietly past them and past Vic as well and into the back lounge where she sat down on the couch as the bus started to move.

She pulled out her phone and after replying to all the texts she'd gotten during the show, she opened up her Twitter feed.

She scrolled mindlessly, replying to every few tweets she hadn't answered 300 times or could at least understand.

But somewhere near the top of her mentions, she read a tweet and immediately frowned.

It was a mention from Austin that read,

' _OMNMYDG No! KristenAustell is forever my one and only_.'

It had a heart at the end, but the tweet left her utterly confused.

Reading the tweet the fan had sent only confused her further.

'_Is that your new girlfriend?'_

Kristen jumped to Austin's timeline, finding the picture.

It was stamped as sent 5 hours ago. Clicking the link, a picture of Austin and a gorgeous blonde popped up. The caption read, "_Hanging with 'ma girl' today! Good times. This is the best. I miss times like these. Only one thing is missing."_

Jealousy instantly welled up inside of Kristen. She felt pathetic for it, but she couldn't help it.

"_His girl_"? Could just be a harmless pet name. But Kristen's mind blocked out all reasoning. All she saw was a girl that was a million times prettier than her, having a great time with her boyfriend. Making him happy. Maybe even happier than she ever could.

Her eyes filled with tears, Austin's tweet of confirmation not good enough for her. _Of course _he wouldn't admit to something like that on the internet of all places.

She threw her phone down and wrapped her arms around her knees as she started to cry openly. The slight rock of the bus as it traveled was her only form of comfort.

A few minutes later, a figure appeared next to her.

Vic frowned at her and was at her side in a moment's notice.

"Kristen? Kristen, what's wrong?"

"I just… I'm so done, Vic. I hate this. I hate not knowing what's going on and I hate that I'm so clingy and I hate that this is all my fault!" She sobbed, trying not to meet his gaze.

"Shhh," Vic whispered softly. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close to him. "No, don't worry about him. This isn't your fault."

"Yes it is." She retorted into his chest.

"No, I promise." He rubbed her arm, hoping to soothe her. His heart raced, thinking this could be his chance but knowing he shouldn't.

They sat in silence for a few minutes as they listened to the hum of the air conditioner. Kristen's breathing returned to normal and her sniffles ceased.

"What's wrong with me?" She asked quietly.

"Nothing is. You're… you're quite perfect, actually." Vic's voice shook as he looked down at the vulnerable girl in his arms.

Her heart jumped at his words. "W-what?"

"I think you're perfect." He replied. He was gaining confidence by the minute since she didn't immediately push him away. "I've always thought that."

"Why?"

"Because you are."

She didn't say anything else, she was too shocked.

Taking a deep breath, Vic put a hand on her chin, lifting it up so she looked him in the eyes.

They stared at each other for a few moments, as brown orbs met blue, before Vic lowered his head and placed his lips on hers gingerly.

She didn't pull away.

Both of their hearts sped up, Vic's of nervousness and surprise and Kristen's of eagerness.

Her trust in Austin deteriorated by the day, and she told herself that no matter how wrong this felt, she figured that he had done it to her in the past (and that was only one _that she knew about_), so what harm would it do if she returned the favor?

Vic sighed as their lips parted, looking down at Kristen with a smile of pure joy.

He laid her down against the couch gently and leaned down with her until he hovered over her. She showed no signs of resistance, but he questioned her just to make sure.

"You don't… mind, do you?"

Her only reply was the shake of her head.


End file.
